Suction cleaner with nozzle raising means



Oct. 4, 1955 G. A. BRACE SUCTION CLEANER WITH NOZZLE RAISING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1, 1951 FIG] m m m m GEORGE A. BRACE BY JIM ATTORNEY 1955 G. A. BRACE 2,719,31

SUCTION CLEANER WITH NOZZLE RAISING MEANS Filed Sept. 1 195] 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NM am w th INVENTOR.

W GEO GE A. BRACE.

WSZZFZM ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,119,319 SUCTION CLEANER WITH NOZZLE RAISING MEANS George A. Brace, Highland Park, Ill., assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 1, 1951, Serial No. 244,793 13 Claims. cl. 15-333 s This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to an unusually simple, unique and highly effective means for converting a cleaner to olf-the-floor operation and for safeguarding the floor covering against injury while so converted.

Modern suction cleaners employ rotary agitators to beat and brush the carpet. Upon converting the cleaner to off-the-fioor operation it is important that the carpet be protected from injury by the agitator in case the cleaner is left in the same position for a protracted period while dusting furniture, drapes or other articles with the dusting tools. The various expedients resorted to for protectingthe carpet fall into two categories, namely, those in which. the agitator drive is disconnected in some manner, or those in which the nozzle and agitator are held in an elevated position so that contactwith the carpet is impossible. However, safeguards of both types heretofore proposed leave much to be desired due to the complex and costly constructions involved, inconvenience in their operation, restrictions imposed on the designer, and the necessity for performing a series of steps in a prescribed order when converting or reconverting.

.It has long been the objective of designers to develop a converting facility by which the operator may convert to offrthe-fioor operation and simultaneously elevate the nozzle merely by inserting a converter tool downwardly through an opening in the top of the cleaner, and later reconvert to on-the-floor operation merely by withdrawing the converter tool. However, this objective has never been successfully accomplished because it was thought impossible to raise the cleaner while inserting the converterdownwardly into the cleaner.

-The" present inventionentirely obviates the numerous disadvantages of prior constructions. and provides a cleaner in which the insertion of the converter downwardly through the top of the suction nozzle unlatches a resilientbelt guard and stresses it in such a manner that it elevates the nozzle and acts as asupporting skid fer the nozzle so long as the converter is in place. Removal of-the converter re-latches the belt guardinplaceand restores the nozzle to its former position. It will therefore be understood that in the present invention the raising" and lowering of the nozzle takes place as an incident to the insertion or removal of the converter and without the performance of any preliminary or auxiliary operation on the part of the operator.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a novel suction cleaner which is converted to and from oif-the-floor operation in a new and unique manner characterized by the use of a simple, rugged, inexpensive, easily operated mechanism which is fool proof in operation.

Another object is the provision in a suction cleaner of single device serving the double function of a belt guard and a nozzle supporting member together with means for shifting it from one function to the other by the insertion or removal of a converter tool.

Yet another object is the provision of a combined ice belt guard and nozzle supporting member having a resilient portion strong enough to support the weight of the forward portion of the cleaner but which flexes under forces in slightly excess of this weight.

Yet another object is the provision of new and improved means for releasably mounting the belt guard and agitator on a suction nozzle.

Numerous other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed specification of an illustrative embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a cleaner incorporating the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a view along line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of the combined belt guard and nozzle supporting skid locked in its retracted position.

Referring to the drawings it will be observed that the cleaner comprises a main body 10 having a suction nozzle 11 extending across its forward end. The usual electric motor, not shown, is housed within the rear portion of body 16 and has a forwardly and upwardly extending shaft 12 projecting through the fan chamber 13 into the upper portion of nozzle 11. The usual fan 14 is mounted on the shaft and draws air upwardly through the open lower end of the nozzle and through fan eye 1'5 into fan chamber 13. The air discharges from the fan chamber through a side exhaust air conduit 16 which opens upwardly and rearwardly into the usual filter bag 17 the upper end of which is supported on the propelling handle. Only the lower bail portion 18 of the handle is shown in Figure 1.

The cleaner body is supported on a pair of rear wheels 19 and a pair of front carrier wheels 20. The latter wheels are shown as enclosed by protective skirt members 21 at either side of the motor housing and immediately rearward of the suction nozzle.

The rotary agitator comprises a cylinder 22 having shallow cup-shaped thread guard members 23 capping its ends and enclosing the usual bearings. A shaft 24 extends through the agitator and the bearings carried thereby. The ends of the shaft are provided with threads which screw into thread guard members 23 and hold them assembled to the agitator. The shaft does not project beyond the outer surface of the thread guard members. The agitator is provided with two pairs of brushes or beater elements 25 and 26 projecting from the opposite sides thereof as is customary .The inner sides of the nozzle end walls are provided with inverted U-shaped recesses 27, 27 to receive and seat thread guards 23 of the agitator. The lowermost periphery of the thread guard is flush with the inlet opening to the suction nozzle so that the rectangularly shaped floor plate 28 bears against the thread guard or is closely spaced therefrom. The floor plate is stamped from sheet metal and has tangs 29 on its forward upturned edge which engage in openings 30, 30 in the front wall of the suction nozzle at points underlying furniture guard 31, The rear edge of the floor plate has a pair of tabs 32 which extend upwardly around the rear wall of the nozzle and are provided with openings through which thumb screws 33 extend to removably hold the floor plate in position across the mouth of the nozzle. As more clearly shown in Figure 3, the inner sides of end members of the floor plate are provided with a pair of leaf springs 34 positioned to engage the edge of the thread guards for the purpose of holding the agitator firmly and resiliently seated in the. uppermost portion of recesses 27 in the end walls of the nozzle.

.From the foregoing description it will be evident that the agitator assembly may be readily removed from the nozzle by merely removing thumb nuts 33 thereby releasing the floor plate so that tabs 29 may be unhooked from openings 30 in the front wall. The" agitator may then be removed from the open lower ends of recesses 27.

The agitator is driven by the usual rubber belt 35 seated in a groove 36 at the center of the agitator body. The other end of the belt is supported on a pulley 37 located at the outermost end of motor shaft 12.

The upper, central portion of the suction nozzle is provided with a converter port 38 which is normally closed by a cover 39 having its rearmost edge pivotally connected to the cleaner body by hinge 41). An L- shaped tubular converter tool is indicated by dot and dash lines 41 in Figure 1. In accordance with customary practice this tool may be of sheet metal and is shaped to be inserted downwardly through the port and into registry with fan eye and to occupy the space between the rear run of the belt and the front wall of fan chamber 13. The lower end of the converter tool is forked so as to straddle motor shaft 12 as it is being inserted. The lower portion of the slot formed by the forked end may be closed by spring actuated valve members which open on contact with shaft 12 to permit the tool to by-pass the shaft and then close behind the shaft to cut off the flow through the slot. Converters with valves of this type are well known in the prior art. See for example the patent to Gerber No. 2,450,828, granted on October 5, 1948. The converter may be locked in place on the cleaner by the usual spring-biased latch mounted on the converter and having a pin engageable in detent 42.

One of the lower side walls of the converter is provided with a pair of abutments 43 and 44 having the general configuration indicated in Figure 1. The purpose and mode of operation of these abutments will be explained in greater detail below in connection with the combined belt guard and nozzle supporting skid.

The combined belt guard and nozzle supporting skid is best illustrated in Figure 4 wherein it is shown as comprising a continuous piece of spring steel wire generally indicated at 45. This member consists of a coil spring 46 supported on the upper side of the front nozzle lip as by an upturned encircling tab 47. Portion 47 of this tab is bent downwardly between adjacent turns of spring 46 so as to prevent longitudinal movement of the spring relative to the tab while permitting the entire device to pivot through a small angle about the axis of spring 46. One end 48 of the spring is bent into the form of a closed loop having the configuration indicated. The central portion of this loop may have a light sheet metal closure 49 secured thereto. The other end 50 of the wire extends upwardly through the nozzle in a curved path so that its upper end is positioned in the path of abutments 43 and 44 on the side of the converter tool. The lower portion of end 50 is normally positioned closely against the rear side of the front wall of nozzle 11 and is held in retracted position thereagainst by a latching detent 51 which has a rearwardlyprojecting cammed edge leading into the latching recess. It will be evident from Figures 1 and 4 that when end 50 is latched in the recess of detent 51 the looped belt guard end 48 lies in the plane of the floor plate immediately below belt groove 36 so as to act as a guard preventing the entrance of foreign matter into the belt groove.

Operation guard portion 48, 49 extends horizontally across the mouth of the nozzle safeguarding the belt against injury or from becoming entangled with ravelings and foreign matter. As will be readily apparent from Figure 3, end 50 of the spring is positioned entirely to one side of the driving belt and that its curved end terminates close to the fan eye so that any foreign material which might tend to collect on this wire is wiped off and drawn into the fan eye.

Let us now assume that it is desired to convert the cleaner to off-the-floor use. The operator grasps the upper, shorter leg of converter tool 41 in her right hand as she opens the converter cover 39 with the left hand. The forked end of the tool is' then inserted vertically downward through port 38. As the lower ends of the valve member contact the pulley shaft, the valve opens allowing the converter to straddle the shaft. As the converter moves downwardly the lower inclined surface of abutment 44 strikes the end of spring 50 causing the spring to be pressed forwardly slightly to by-pass the abutment whereupon it snaps against the lower surface of abutment 43. Further downward movement of the converter tool rotates arm 50, spring 46 and belt guard 48 counterclockwise within the bearing provided by tab 47. This pivotal movement disengages arm from detent 51 as will readily be understood. Almost at the beginning of this pivotal movement, the rear end of belt guard 48 strikes the floor causing spring 46 to be placed under stress as the converter is moved still further downward into its fully seated position in registry with fan eye 15. The spring latch on the converter then engages in detent 42 and locks the converter in place.

As the operator releases her hand from the converter the energy stored in spring 46 during the insertion-of the converter acts to elevate the forward end of the nozzle off the floor. to the position indicated by thedash lines in Figure 1. In this position the cleaner is supported on rear wheels 19 and the rear end of belt guard loop 48 and skid plate 49. Thus, the suction nozzle and the agitator are first elevated and then held appreciably above the surface of the carpet by spring 46 which has a supporting capacity somewhat in excess of the weight carried by front carrier wheels 20. The cleaner is now in condition for otf-the-floor cleaning and the operator merely has to attach the usual flexible hose and cleaning tools to the upper end of the converter 41 and proceed with her cleaning.

Reconversion to on-the-floor cleaning is accomplished simply by unlatching the converter from detent 42 and lifting it upwardly through port 38. As this takes place, the upper inclined surface of abutment 44 engages the underside of spring end 50 carrying the latter upwardly and forwardly until it snaps behind keeper detent 51. As end 50 comes to rest in the keeper recess the upper rear end of the belt guard engages the rear nozzle lip and places spring 46 .under slight tension so as to hold the guard firmly in place across the mouth of the nozzle. After the converter has been removed the operator merely closes cover 39 and the cleaner is ready for further onthe-floor operation.

If it is desired to replace the belt or remove the agitator forinspection or repair, the operator turns the cleaner on its side and removes thumb screws 33 holding floor plate 28 in place. After the belt has been removed from the pulley by inserting the finger through the converter port, the plate is pivoted outwardly to disengage tabs 29 from openings 30 in the front wall of the nozzle. Since device 45 is mounted on the floor plate, this member is detached along with plate 28. The entire agitator assembly and driving belt then drops through the open ends of recesses 27 at the opposite ends of the nozzle. Reassembly of the agitator is accomplished by carrying out the above described procedure in reverse order.

While I have shown but a single modification of my invention it is to be understood that this modification is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and. described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with 2-. suction cleaner of the type having a wheel supported body provided with a suction nozzle crosswise of its forward end, an agitator in said suction nozzle, a power driven suction fan on said body, said fan having an eye in communication with said nozzle, a belt providing a driving connection between said fan and said agitator, of converter means for converting said cleaner from on-the-floor to oif-the-floor operation comprising, a converter port in said nozzle through which a converter tool can be connected to said fan eye for oif-the-floor cleaning, a combined belt guard and nozzle supporting skid extending across said nozzle beneath said agitator belt and having a pivotal connection with one wall of said nozzle, an arm resiliently connected to said skid through a spring of sufiicient strength when stressed to elevate and support the forward end of said cleaner, said arm having a portion extending into the path of a converter tool as it is inserted through said port and being operable thereby to pivot said combined belt guard and skid downwardly in opposition to said spring to stress the same sufiiciently that the energy so stored in said spring is effective to elevate and support the forward end of said cleaner elevated on said combined belt guard and skid so long as the cleaner is converted to ofE-the-fioor cleaning.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said belt guard, said arm and said resilient connection comprise a unitary element consisting of a torsion spring one end of which extends crosswise of said nozzle to provide a combined belt guard and nozzle supporting skid and the other end of which extends into the path of the converter tool whereby the converter tool is effective to stress said torsion spring as the tool is inserted through said port.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 including detent means on said cleaner in the path of movement of said arm, said arm being normally retained by said detent means in position to hold said belt guard flush with the plane of said nozzle mouth and being releasable from said detent when contacted by the converter tool as the same is inserted through said port.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 including a converter tool having means thereon for engaging said arm as the tool is inserted through said converter port for disengaging the same from said detent means whereby said resilient connection is placed under suificient stress as said skid contacts the floor to elevate said nozzle and hold it elevated so long as the cleaner is converted to oti-the-floor operation.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 including a converter tool having abutment means thereon positioned to by-pass said arm connected with said nozzle supporting skid as said tool is inserted through said converter port in converting said cleaner to off-the-floor operation, said abutment means being operable to temporarily interlock with said arm as said tool is Withdrawn from said port and to return said arm to a position behind said detent means before becoming disengaging from said abutment.

6. The combination defined in claim 3 including a converter tool, a pair of spaced abutments thereon, one of said abutment means being positioned to by-pass said arm during the insertion of the tool through said port, and to interlock temporarily therewith during the withdrawal of the tool so as to return said arm behind said detent means, and the other of said abutment means being positioned to engage said arm during the insertion of the tool and disengage said arm from said detent means.

7. The combination with a wheel supported suction cleaner having a body provided with a suction nozzle across the forward end thereof, a rotary agitator in said nozzle, a motor driven suction fan having a shaft terminating in a belt pulley adjacent the front wall of said nozzle, said fan having an inlet eye through the rear wall of said nozzle, an agitator belt connected between the agitator and said pulley, a normally closed converter port in said nozzle opening into said nozzle at a point between said fan eye and said belt, atorsion spring pivotally supported on the front lip of said nozzle mouth, a belt guard member secured to one end of said spring and extending crosswise of said nozzle beneathsaid belt, an arm secured to the other end of said spring extending upwardly and rearwardly toward said fan eye into the path of a converter tool as the same is inserted through said port, detent means on said cleaner engageable by said arm for normally holding said belt guard member in retracted position flush across the mouth of the nozzle, said arm being disengageable from said detent means when said arm is contacted by the insertion of a converter tool and being movable thereby to pivot said belt guard downwardly into contact with the floor and to stress said torsion spring so that said nozzle is supported above the floor by said belt guard while said cleaner is converted to oif-the-floor operation.

8. A floor plate assembly for the mouth of a suction cleaner nozzle comprising, an elongated plate having a rectangular opening adapted to form an inlet opening into a suction cleaner nozzle,the four sides of said opening forming the front and rear lips of a nozzle interconnected by end strips when in place over the inlet end of a nozzle, means on the front lip of said plate formed to readily interlock with a complementarily formed portion of the front wall of a cleaner nozzle, means on the rear lip of said plate for releasably locking said plate to a cleaner nozzle, a belt guard assembly pivotally supported on one of said lips, said guard assembly including a torsion spring mounted on said lip by means permitting the same to rotate through a limited range about the axis thereof, one end of said spring extending across the space between said lips and forming a belt guard for an agitator driving belt, the other end of said spring being shaped to extend upwardly into a cleaner nozzle and to cooperate with detent means therein to normally hold said belt guard in place in the plane of said lips and being adapted for movement to another position in which said belt guard is at an angle to the plane of said lips and provides a resiliently supported skid for holding a suction cleaner nozzle in an elevated position.

9. A floor plate assembly for the mouth of a suction cleaner as defined in claim 8 including resilient means on the upper sides of the end strips of said floor plate positioned to engage the end supports of an agitator for holding the same in place in a suction cleaner nozzle and for releasing an agitator for removal from the nozzle when said floor plate is detached therefrom.

10. The combination with a suction cleaner of the type having a wheel supported body provided with a suction nozzle crosswise of its forward end, a rotary agitator in said nozzle, a power-driven suction fan on said body having an eye in communication with said nozzle and driving a belt encircling said agitator, a bell crank shaped member having one arm extending across said nozzle immediately below said belt and normally serving as a guard for said belt and a second arm resiliently joined to one end of said arm and having an upper end located in said nozzle adjacent said fan eye, means on said cleaner pivotally supporting said resilient junction for the arms of said bell crank member and permitting said one arm to pivot downwardly into contact with the floor, a converter port in said body, a converter connectable to said fan eye through said port by movement through a path traversing said second arm of the bell crank so as to pivot said bell crank in a direction to bring the belt guard arm thereof against the floor and for placing said resilient junction under sufficient stress for the energy so stored therein to elevate said nozzle and support the same at a level appreciably above the floor so long as said converter is connected to said fan eye.

11. In combination, a floor type suction cleaner having a suction nozzle provided with a power-driven rotary agitator, a suction fan having an eye opening into said nozzle, a converter port in said nozzle, a converter tool connectable with the fan eye through said port, and means for automatically raising and holding said nozzle in elevated position as said converter is inserted through said port and so long as the converter is connected to said fan eye comprising, a spring movably mounted on said cleaner, said spring having an upper end located in the path of said converter as the same is inserted through said port and being movable thereby to bring the oppo site lower end of the spring into contact with the floor and to place the spring under sufiicient stress to elevate said nozzle and hold the same at a substantially higher level and out of cleaning relation to the floor; and means for holding the lower end of said spring out of contact with the floor when the converter is disconnected from the cleaner.

12. In combination, a floor type suction cleaner having a main body provided with front and rear supporting wheels and a suction nozzle extending crosswise of the front end thereof, a rotary agitator in said nozzle, a power-driven suction fan coupled to said agitator by a belt, said fan having an eye opening into said nozzle, a converter port in said nozzle through which a converter tool can be coupled to said fan for off-the-floor cleaning,

and means actuated as an incident to the coupling of the converter to said fan eye for automatically supplanting said front wheels in supporting said nozzle and for elevating the same out of cleaning relation to the floor, said means including a spring movably carried by said cleaner having an upper end located in the path of the converter as the same is coupled to said fan eye and movable thereby to bring the lower end of the spring into contact with the floor and to place the same under snliicient stress to elevate the nozzle out of cleaning relation to the floor.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 including means for normally holding said spring retracted above the floor, and means actuated by the uncoupling of said converter from said fan eye for re-engaging said spring with said holding means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 974,304 Spangler Nov. 1, 1910 1,507,879 Wright Sept. 9, 1924 2,581,794 Hodges Jan. 8, 1952 2,584,495 Osborn Feb. 5, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 538,613 Great Britain Aug. 11, 1941 

